P3 Lies Here

Ooooo, these are interesting! Okay, I feel like I could go on about Cole for a while, so I’m gonna try to give this ask some semblance of organization haha.

What do you see as his best and worst traits?

Some of his good traits, to me, would include his deep seated desire to do good, his bravery, his loyalty, and his tenacity. I also find Cole to be quite charismatic, which I suppose can be considered a good or bad trait based on how it’s being used. Another sort of “middle-of-the-road” trait would his love for Phoebe, as it was simultaneously the thing that lifted him up and tore him down. As far as his negative traits go, I would say that Cole’s temper is a big issue he has. That seemed to get him into trouble even when he was on the “good path,” so to speak. I don’t know that this really counts as a trait, but nonetheless, Cole’s demon half got in the way quite a bit. It sort of goes hand in hand with his temper problems in that it brings out a dark side of him that would be better off hidden. 

How much blame do you place on his choices for becoming evil vs. circumstances beyond his complete control?

I assume this is talking about the period of the show where Cole was also The Source? If so, I put hardly any blame on Cole. Maybe even no blame. I know a lot of people like to blame Cole for his time as The Source and the whole thing with Phoebe being Queen of the Underworld, but honestly, almost none of that was actually Cole. And, I’m too lazy to look it up, but I’m like 99.9% sure that that’s how the actual show was written at that point. In my not-so-humble opinion, Cole was a victim. I’m not saying that none of it was Cole because, obviously, Cole was in there, but I think The Source suppressed him so much that it became harder and harder for Cole to fight back and eventually he stopped being a prisoner in his own mind and just started being a spectator, helpless to stop what was happening and maybe even too tired to try anymore.

Now, if we’re talking about Cole post-Source, then that’s where things get a little messy. I really think the writers did Cole dirty during his last season (half a season, actually) on the show. I really don’t understand the purpose of developing his character so much to just have him succumb to evil in the end. I know it’s supposed to be tragic and sad because he loved Phoebe so much that it drove him insane, but the way it played out, a lot people probably ended up completely hating Cole in the end, and that’s a shame because he’s one of the most interesting characters to ever be written. But, if we take the writers out of it and just focus on Cole and his actions after he came back from the dead, I do put most of the blame on him for the things he did. Although, I do feel for him in the fact that Phoebe was being quite cold to him for an unjustified reason. It makes sense if you think the previous season (when he was The Source) was all Cole’s doing, but as I stated, I don’t. So, to me, Phoebe should’ve at least been more forgiving and understanding, even if that didn’t necessarily mean they got back together.

In what ways do you think Phoebe/Cole are similar to each other and different from each other?

This is a good question because it gives me the opportunity to gush about why I think these two are perfect for each other (not that I don’t love Coop, I just think Cole is her soulmate). 

So, I think one of the more obvious similarities between Phoebe and Cole would be their tendencies to stray into the darkness. Of course, Cole has his half-demon side that influences that trend, but I also believe part of his human personality is enticed by slightly toxic things. On Phoebe’s end, she had her troubled teen years, as well as her past life, where she was an evil witch. So, I think Phoebe and Cole do have difficulties sometimes when it comes to staying on the right path, but that’s another thing they have in common is their desire to be on the right path rather than the wrong one. Another potentially obvious similarity would be the way Cole and Phoebe love, not just each other, but in general. They both love very deeply, very passionately. 

Differences are a little tougher for me to find, but the core one that I keep thinking about is how they each feel about their darkness. Phoebe has either said or implied time and time again that she hates her darkness. There are even times when she feels like it’s going to swallow her and leave nothing behind or that she’s innately evil. Cole, on the other hand, tried for a long time to live with who he was while still being good. He didn’t want to get rid of his powers and had quite a difficult time adjusting when he finally did lose them, and you could also see him frequently using his demonic powers in battle alongside The Charmed Ones. So, I think this balanced Phoebe and Cole in quite a nice way because Phoebe could teach Cole what it meant to be purely good, what should motivate you, and so on, and Cole could comfort Phoebe and tell her that it’s okay to have darkness as long as you don’t let it control you. Other differences would include Cole’s impulsiveness vs. Phoebe’s carefully constructed plans of action (Phoebe used to be impulsive, but I think time, experience, and her relationship with Cole mellowed her out quite a bit and made her more mature), Cole’s cold personality with innocents vs. Phoebe’s warm, inviting personality, and Cole’s desire for “action” vs. Phoebe’s desire for a normal life.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading these answers! I genuinely do love Phoebe and Cole so much, both together and apart. There were, of course, times when either Phoebe or Cole weren’t the best of people to each other, but that doesn’t mean I love them any less, it just makes them more human! I’m still bitter that Cole wasn’t redeemed in the end so he could be with Phoebe. I feel like redeeming and loving somebody that is supposed to be evil would be the ultimate metaphor for what The Charmed Ones do. Oh, well.